McMaster Academic Planner (MAP) - Faculty of Science

Biology Greenhouse

The Biology Greenhouse is a teaching and research facility in the Department of Biology. While many plants are grown in the short term for research studies, the permanent collection is used in plant biology classes offered by the Biology Department and for outreach to local schools and the public.

The Greenhouse, with its 780 square meters under glass, houses a richly diverse collection of live plants encompassing more than 217 species in 150 genera from over 77 plant families. The plant collection contains bamboo, insect-eating cobra plants, a chocolate tree, a coffee tree, a palm tree, sugarcane, cycads, bananas and more!

Please contact Dr. Susan Dudley if interested in touring the Greenhouse. Also, check out their Instagram page! @mcmasterbiogreenhouse

Biology Greenhouse: Learn More

Plant Genetics Workshop

In this workshop offered by the Department of Biology, high school students can have a “hands-on” experience performing molecular genetic experiments with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The five-hour workshop, including a one-hour break for lunch, teaches students about amplifying DNA and monitoring gene activity. To find out more, contact Dr. Elizabeth Weretilnyk.

Plant Genetics Workshop: Learn More

Magic of Molecules

This show runs about three times a year – once in February and October (virtually) and once in person (late November/early December)

This is a made-at-McMaster show that introduces audiences of all ages to the magic of chemistry. Magic with Molecules is the flagship community outreach event for the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology. This show combines education with entertainment to build science literacy and inspire the next generation of scientists.

Please contact Anthony Chibba or Sharonna Greenberg for more information.

Magic of Molecules: Contact Us

Sustainability Chemistry Lab

This is a lab designed here at McMaster for high school students to come and investigate how to identify different plastics based on their properties, and ways we can break down plastics into their base monomers.

Opportunities to come and try this experiment usually run in late April/early May

Please contact Sharonna Greenberg or Kylie Luska for more information.

Sustainability Chemistry Lab: Contact Us

GIS Day

Hosted by the School of Earth, Environment & Society, this event fulfills part of the Ontario geography curriculum for grades 9, 11 and 12 students.

The annual GIS Day assists in raising the visibility of the field of geomatics among high school students and their teachers.

Students can participate in various hands-on computer activities with ArcView, GPS and Map Skills.

GIS Day: Learn More

Attend an Earth Science or Environment and Society Lecture at McMaster

Grade 11 and 12 high school classes are invited to visit McMaster University and participate in any of the following lectures during the school year.

EARTHSC 1G03 – Earth and the Environment
ENVIRSC 1C03 – Climate, Water and Environment
ENVSOCTY 1HA3 – Society, Culture and Environment
ENVSOCTY 1HB3 – Population, Cities and Development
ENVSOCTY 2EI3 – Environment & Society: Challenges and Solutions
EARTHSC 2GG3 – Natural Disasters

Please contact berniejm@mcmaster.ca for more information.

Attend an Earth Science or Environment and Society Lecture at McMaster: Learn More

High School Visits

You can have a graduate student in the School of Earth, Environment & Society visit your high school classroom and give a presentation. (Only available to schools within a 25 km radius of McMaster University.)

Your students can learn firsthand how science (whether it be biology, chemistry or physics) can be applied to the physical environment. They can also learn about the numerous career opportunities associated with a B.Sc. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

For more information, please contact Luc Bernier.

High School Visits: Learn More

McMaster Rocks

Rocks formed all over the world can be found in our McMaster gardens, pathways, and architecture. By observing different features of a rock, one can learn a lot about the environment in which it was deposited.

Geologists use these features as clues to help reconstruct past environments, and to predict where important resources are!

Campus Geology at McMaster University

McMaster Rocks: Learn More

iSci for a Day

ISCI for a day Visits (January – March)

The best way to know if iSci is the program for you is to visit!  Take advantage of our iSci for a Day Program:

Prospective students will be matched up with a first-year iSci student ambassador with similar interests who will host them for the day. Visits will normally start in the morning before the first class. The iSci host and prospective student will make arrangements at a specific time and location, and the visit will then continue throughout the day to experience first-year classes and/or labs along with the McMaster campus.

To register for the “iSci for a day” program, please complete this form.

iSci for a Day: Learn More

Equitable Admissions for Black Applicants (EABA)

The Integrated Science Program (iSci) within the School of Interdisciplinary Science (SIS) strives to be an accessible, supportive, and inclusive community. As part of our efforts to acknowledge and minimize systemic and structural barriers in the program, we have introduced an Equitable Admissions for Black Applicants (EABA) process for our Level 1 applicants as part of the mandatory supplementary application. The purposes of this process are to reduce barriers that might discourage Black-identifying applicants from applying to the iSci program and to mitigate the potential for unconscious bias to influence evaluation of supplementary applications.

The EABA is open to applicants who self-identify as Black (including Black African, Black Caribbean/West Indian, Black North American, Black/Afro-Latinx, multi-racial students who have Black ancestry that they identify with, and other Black identities).

This is an optional application stream for Black applicants.

To learn more about the process and associated resources, please read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Equitable Admissions for Black Applicants (EABA): Learn More

High-Performance Laboratory Tours

Our Kinesiology tours are designed for senior-level students in the health and fitness area (e.g., 12 U Exercise Science, 12 U Biology, College Health and Wellness Courses). Tours last up to 120 minutes and are intended to introduce students to commonly used tests of human performance and body composition.

High-Performance Laboratory Tours: More Information

Let's Talk Science

Hands-on/minds-on activities for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 on all Science-related subjects.

Let’s Talk Science strives to improve science literacy through leadership, innovative educational programs, research and advocacy. We motivate and empower youth to use science, technology and engineering to develop critical skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to thrive in our world.

Let's Talk Science: Learn More

High School Visits

Visits from High School Students

Every year, we organize activities for visiting groups of high school students. For their half-day, or full-day stay at McMaster, we offer various activities, including: visiting a lecture in a first-year course; attending a lecture about math and its applications; conversation about what it takes to be a good math student; discussions with the students from the Math and Stats society; and a guided campus tour.

Visits to Local High Schools

From time to time, upon invitation, we visit local high schools. Often, our visit includes discussions with math teachers and a lecture to students about mathematics, applications of mathematics, and jobs which involve mathematics. Please contact us if you wish to organize a visit.

High School Visits: Contact Us

Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest

Every March, we host a Math Kangaroo contest for grades 1-12. This is a fun contest, which involves working individually on math problems appropriate for the age (grade) of the contestants. Please visit https://mathkangaroo.ca/ for further information, and to see how to register. Registration for the contest opens in December.

Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest: Learn More

Zanzibar Group Math Competition

This is a new competition, as of November 2023 and is open to students in grades 9-12. A couple of months before the contest, we will send an email to high school teachers and ask them to advertise the competition, encourage students to form groups (maximum three students per group), and send us the names of all students who will participate. The groups work on a number of math problems, ranging from straightforward to challenging.

Zanzibar Group Math Competition: Contact Us

Community of High School Math Teachers

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics has previously hosted and plans to again host, a Dialogue on Transition Issues with math teachers in the region. We invite teachers to share their insights and experiences about grade 12 math courses and we discuss how Level I math courses at McMaster have changed to adapt to changes in the high school mathematics curriculum.

If you are a grade 12 math teacher, math department head, guidance counselor or secondary school principal, we would welcome your attendance. We advertise this event via our email list of teachers in the broader Hamilton and Toronto areas.

Community of High School Math Teachers: Contact Us

Mathematics Review Manual

Mathematics Review Manual

The Mathematics Review Manual is an excellent resource for students who will be taking first-year calculus at university. It is strongly recommended that students work through this review during the summer months before their first semester at university.

For all activities, please contact Outreach coordinators Erin Clements or Miroslav Lovric.

Mathematics Review Manual: Review Manual

MePlus

McMaster Equitable Pathways to Learning University Sciences (MePLUS) is a year-long program built on mentorship, leadership opportunities and science workshops, which aims to provide access to, promote and demystify post-secondary education opportunities in STEM, specifically in the natural and physical sciences.

Its year-long programming brings high school students to campus for science workshops as well as leadership/personal development. MePLUS focuses on youth from equity-deserving groups, specifically Black, Indigenous and Latinx high school students in the local Hamilton and surrounding catchment areas.

 

MePlus: Learn More

McCallion Planetarium

Learn about planets, stars, galaxies, and other fascinating objects in our Universe, while stargazing in the Planetarium’s night sky.

The planetarium offers public and private shows, given primarily by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster.

McCallion Planetarium: Learn More

Nuclear Reactor Tours

Take a tour of the McMaster Nuclear Reactor – by far the most powerful research reactor at a Canadian university.

The McMaster Nuclear Reactor offers complementary tours of the nuclear reactor facility to interested parties. Each tour is conducted by a trained guide or Nuclear Operations & Facilities staff member and is approximately 60 to 90 minutes in duration.

Tours are available Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Saturday tours may be available occasionally – please enquire with your initial email.

Nuclear Reactor Tours: Book a Tour

Sidewalk Astronomy

We invite you to take a peek at Hamilton’s night sky through a telescope with weekly observing nights hosted by Sidewalk Astronomy.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for announcements about observing events. McMaster’s Sidewalk Astronomy is a School of Graduate Studies SPICES program.

 

Sidewalk Astronomy: Learn More

Brain Bee

The Brain Bee is a competition for high school students, grades 9 through 12. It is fashioned after a traditional Spelling Bee, except that students answer questions about the brain and neuroscience research. It is designed to stimulate interest and excitement about brain research.

Students study topics on memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, and brain disease, among other topics. It is an exciting opportunity for high school students to learn about the brain and brain research.

Participants meet university students and professors who are doing brain research. The Brain Bee is an avenue of communication, through media and students, to raise awareness of brain research in the community. It is a mechanism to attract bright young minds to the study of neuroscience.

Brain Bee: Learn More